The performance of a radar system can be affected by atmospheric conditions, thereby providing erroneous information that can result in undesirable and even severe consequences. Atmospheric conditions and radar mechanical and electrical conditions can significantly reduce the radar's detection range such that the detection range is expected to be much greater than its true range given existing atmospheric conditions and radar condition. By way of example, a radar normally having a detection range of 100 miles may under particular atmospheric conditions have an actual range of 90 miles. Using a military application as an example, a radar used to detect enemy aircraft may, because of existing atmospheric conditions and radar condition, actually see a target at significantly less than the expected range, resulting in less time being available to deploy defense systems or even gaps in detection coverage of a system of radars. To avoid such overestimates of actual radar performance, it has been known to use manned test aircraft to determine the true detection range. The manned test aircraft were flown between non-detection and detection zones, and by knowing the aircraft's actual position the radar's true detection range could be determined.
However, the use of manned test aircraft for this purpose is expensive and poses a safety risk to the pilot. Moreover, because they must be of a sufficient size to be manned, they are limited in their use as radar detection and calibration targets where small radar cross-sections are desired or required.